The European Parliament have taken a transformative step toward protecting our environment this week by voting to ban single-use plastics by 2021. BBC News reported the landslide vote passed 571-53.

The Proposed Directive identifies that ‘plastic makes up 80-85% of the total number of marine litter items’ and highlights the need to transition to a circular economy. The Directive states that it will ‘support innovative solutions for new business models’ that align with the circular economy model. Single-use plastics such as food containers and cups for beverages will see targeted ‘consumption reduction’ and ‘extended producer responsibility’ while cutlery, stirrers, straws, plates, cotton bud sticks and balloon sticks will have their production and sale restricted.

The global push to move to a circular economy is an important and necessary step forward in planning a sustainable future on our planet. Take 3’s mission identifies this need and promotes a circular economy. We recognise the need to defer from the traditional and wasteful ‘linear’ economy to a circular model where technical resources are valued for their ongoing contribution and recycled indefinitely, while biological nutrients are put back into the land to boost soil quality.